MP BJP demands floor test before governor's address, budget session

Bhopal, March 14 (IANS): Amid the ongoing political drama in Madhya Pradesh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation met Governor Lalji Tandon on Saturday and demanded a floor test before his address to the House and the budget session of the Assembly.

After meeting the Governor, former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said: "There is a minority government in the state, so there should be a floor test ahead of Governor's address and budget session."

The BJP demanded that the voting should not be by a show of hands and the whole process should be filmed.

The BJP delegation included Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava and former Ministers Narottam Mishra and Bhupendra Singh.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker N.P. Prajapati has indicated that action might be taken against two or three rebel MLAs out of the 22 who had resigned.

Prajapati on Saturday gave notice to seven rebel Congress MLAs to appear before him to discuss their resignations but they didn't turn up. The six rebel Congress MLAs who were asked to appear before him on Friday also didn't turn up.

Prajapati had asked the six MLAs to appear before him again on Saturday but none of the 13 MLAs turned up as the Speaker kept waiting for them for nearly three hours.

Speaking to mediapersons, Prajapati said: "I kept waiting for the seven MLAs, who were given time today, and for the six MLAs who didn't come on Friday, at the Assembly Secretariat. Now, I will work as per the legal process."

"Two or three serious issues of legislators have come before me. Based on the papers that have been received, I am considering whether to keep them or remove them," he added.

Congress issues whip to MLAs in MP

Amid the political drama in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress issued a whip to its MLAs to be present in the Assembly during the session starting from March 16.

Chief whip of the Congress Govind Singh on Saturday issued a three-line whip where he said that it is mandatory for all the MLAs to be present on all working days i.e. March 16 to April 13 of the fifth session of the Assembly.

The whip also said that all the members should vote in favour of the government.

MP Speaker accepts resignations of six former ministers, asks 7 more rebel MLAs to appear (BOX)

Bhopal, March 14 (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker N P Prajapati on Saturday accepted the resignations of six rebel MLAs who were ministers in the Kamal Nath government.

These MLAs were sacked from the cabinet after they, alongwith 16 other legislators, resigned in support of Jyotiraditya Scindia who left the Congress and joined the BJP.

"I have accepted the resignations of Imarati Devi, Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, Pradyumn Singh Tomar and Prabhuram Chaudhari," Prajapti told reporters.

"I had given them time to appear in person on Friday and Saturday after their resignations came in for verification. But they did not turn up," he added.

With the Speaker's decision, the effective strength of the MP Assembly is now 222. Two seats are vacant.

Meanwhile,the Speaker gave notice to the seven more rebel Congress MLAs to appear before him to discuss the resignations.

On Friday, notices were sent to six rebel Congress MLAs but they did not appear before the Speaker who kept waiting in his chamber of the Assembly all day but the MLAs did not turn up.

Twenty two Congress legislators, close to Jyotiraditya Scindia camp, have submitted their resignations to the Speaker through email out of which 19 are lodged in a Bengaluru resort, but the Speaker have insisted that the legislators will have to put their case in person.

Jeetu Patwari, a minister in Kamal Nath government, reached Bengaluru to meet the MLAs, but was not allowed to meet them.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government is thinking of postponing the floor test if all the MLAs do not appear before the Speaker.

The government may also knock the doors of the Supreme Court if the MLAs do not present themselves before the Speaker.